CISE and BDC Host Event to Connect Faculty with IMEC
Fifteen distinguished Boston University faculty members shared their research at an event jointly hosted by the Center for Information Systems and Engineering (CISE) and the Biological Design Center (BDC) at the Center for Computing and Data Sciences on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.
Invited faculty connected with scientists and engineers from the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC). IMEC, headquartered in Belgium, is the leading independent research and development center in nano-electronics and digital technologies. Similarly, CISE’s mission is to deepen and broaden interdisciplinary research concerning intelligent systems with broad societal applications. Furthermore, the BDC team consists of a broad mix of engineers, biologists, physicists, and software engineers aiming to make forward-thinking advances, including combining genomic technologies, 3-D printing, and robotics to make new molecules, tissues, organisms, and microbial communities.
The mission of Wednesday’s event was to discuss current and future research in intelligent systems, biological systems and bioelectronics, AI applications in healthcare, and more, and find ways to create long-term connections between Boston University and IMEC.
BU Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Rabia Yazicigil organized the day. Dr. Yazicigil leads the Wireless Integrated Systems and Extreme Circuits (WISE-Circuits) Laboratory. Recently, her team at the WISE-Circuits Lab, along with researchers from MIT, designed a tiny capsule made to detect gastrointestinal problems and send signals to a smartphone. A key facet of Dr. Yazlicigil’s research is studying secure biological systems such as this one, as her lab aims to address societal challenges in healthcare and environmental monitoring.
Opening remarks at the event came from CISE Director Ayse Coskun, who spoke about implementing intelligent systems onto computer systems and how robotics and multi-agent systems can be applied to healthcare. BDC Director Ahmad Khalil followed by sharing more about the BDC, a hub on campus for synthetic biology research. The center aims to push the frontiers of synthetic biology while also providing tools that allow researchers to build genetic circuits and biological systems. A representative from the IMEC team presented more about the non-profit organization, sharing their focus on life science and health technologies and broad research interests.
Each faculty member then presented a “lightning talk” on their research. A common theme across most talks was using information systems and technology to improve human health and health procedures, such as surgery.
Topics from the day included using AI and predictive care models to improve human health, using biomedical imaging and bacteria biofilms, making improvements to imaging processes using optics and algorithms, and using microbial devices and soft robotics to refine health procedures and surgeries. Another key subject of the presentations was how engineering and robotics can play a role in improving the recovery of patients.
A complete list of speakers and topics can be found here.
The day ended with a networking lunch filled with discussion about takeaways from the speakers and future collaborations. CISE and the BDC look forward to helping build future collaborations between BU faculty and IMEC and are excited for the future research presented by faculty that will make a difference in healthcare as well as in many areas of engineering and digital technology.